Schools by area › Westmorland and Furness › Furness Academy
Furness Academy
Secondary · Mixed · Ages 11–16 · Sponsored academy
Park Drive, Barrow-in-Furness LA13 9BB · furnessacademy.co.uk · 01229 484270
On the mapSearch near LA13 9BB
Overview
- Ofsted
- Good
- 2019 framework · inspected Mar 2023
- GCSEs, 2024/25
- 42.4
- average Attainment 8 score. Westmorland and Furness 45.4, England 46
- Demand for places
- 1.0
- first choices for each place · Year 7, September 2026
- Pupils
- 1,187
- 99% of 1,200 places
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Free school meals
- 29.4%
- First language not English
- 3%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Year 7 in September 2026, 263 families put the school first and 258 places were offered; 96% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Year 7 | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 258 | 263 | 1▲ | 96% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 254 | 260 | 1▲ | 96% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 240 | 269 | 1.1▲ | 88% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 241 | 297 | 1.2▲ | 81% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 244 | 263 | 1.1▲ | 92% |
Results
In 2024/25 the average Attainment 8 score at GCSE was 42.4, and 35.6% of pupils got grade 5 or above in English and maths. Across Westmorland and Furness it was 45.4, and across England 46.
GCSE results
Attainment 8
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| ▼42.4 | 46.0 | ||
| ▼35.6% | 45.4% | ||
| ▼57.8% | 64.8% | ||
| ▼28.9% | 40.5% | ||
| ▼3.53 | 4.09 |
Where Year 11 leavers went
| Left in 2023/24 | Since 2021/22 | |
|---|---|---|
| School sixth form | 7.2 | +6.1 |
| Further education | 61.7 | −3.6 |
| Apprenticeship | 14.8 | −1.7 |
| Employment | 8.6 | +0.6 |
| Not in a lasting destination | 6.2 | −2.9 |
| Activity not captured | 1.4 | — |
Ofsted
Furness Academy was judged Good at its last graded inspection, on 13 March 2023, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework.
- Overall
- Good
- Inspected
- 13 Mar 2023
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Good |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Good |
| Personal development | Good |
| Leadership and management | Good |
Previously: Good, graded inspection, Sept 2017
Earlier inspections
Before September 2019
Sept 2017Good
Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good Leadership and management Good Safeguarding Effective Apr 2015Requires improvement
Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement
What parents said
90% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (115 replies, to 1 January 2024).
- Recommend
- 90%
- Replies
- 115
- 10% · 1 Jan 2024
based on the 78% who raised concerns
based on the 47% who had a child bullied
based on 41 parents (36%) with SEND